University of ArkansasCombustion and Propulsion Research Laboratory
Mechanical Engineering Department
Lab Facilities and Capabilities
The University of Arkansas Combustion and Propulsion Research Laboratory is located
within the Engineering Research Center, a 160,000-square-foot research
facility housing laboratories for Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Industrial
and Mechanical Engineering, a full-function machine shop, and qualified
support staff. The Combustion Research Laboratory occupies approximately
1800 square feet of high-bay area within this complex and is devoted to
research in reacting flows, basic and applied combustion
processes, and propulsion. Test facilities include an 18-inch-diameter by 30-inch-deep vacuum chamber for micropropulsion and other space simulation studies, a dry ice/methanol slurry pumping system to cool the simulation chamber, a 5-atmosphere
pressure chamber for liquid fuel atomization studies, and a
6-inch-diameter, quartz-tube combustion tunnel for research related to
stability, mixing, emissions, and active control of reacting flows. The combustion tunnel has a 14-foot-long mixing and flow conditioning section upstream of the test section, and an 8-foot-long quartz hot section.
Air flow for the tunnel is provided by a 550 SCFM helical screw blower, while fuel is
provided by a 3-inch, 20 psia dedicated natural gas line. Other test
systems not currently installed, but available for use on an as-needed
basis, include a Waukesha variable-compression piston engine for fuel and
emission studies, and a GE model 1G600 dynamometer for performance and
emissions studies of automotive engines rated up to 250 HP.
Combustion diagnostics are provided by a variety of extractive gas
sampling instruments. Gas samples can be chilled or heated, dried, filtered,
metered, and routed to any of several analyzers. Species concentrations
are measured by Beckman 951 and Thermo Environmental Model 42 chemiluminescent
analyzers for NO/NOx, a Beckman 400 flame ionization detector for
hydrocarbons, a Beckman 315 non-dispersive infrared analyzer
for CO, and a Rosemount 800 NDIR for CO2. Backup and validation for these instruments
is provided by Enerac 2000 and 3000
portable analyzers, which utilize electrochemical cells for O2, SO2, CO
and NOx, and a semiconductor sensor for UHC. More detailed analyses of
combustion products can be performed when appropriate as a GCMS is available at the Engineering
Research Center. Particulate analysis capability via scanning electron
microscope is also available.
Combustion acoustics are monitored by dual piezoelectric pressure
transducers, with spectral data provided by the
Department's HP3582 FFT analyzer. For liquid fuel atomization studies, a
Malvern droplet sizing instrument (based on laser scattering) was
provided by the Propulsion Sciences Branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Propulsion Directorate. Hardware for two-phase fuel injection studies has
been provided by NASA-Langley. The Laboratory is also
equipped with hot-film flowmeter equipment, dual-element thermocouple
probes for gas temperature measurements, dual-flash photography apparatus
for particle velocity evaluations, a 6-inch shadowgraph imaging system for
reacting flowfield visualizations, a 34-inch fume hood, DAQ systems utilizing LabView software, a 40kV power supply, and the usual range of flowmeters,
power supplies, flow controllers, and other supporting hardware.
Current and Recent Sponsors
Arkansas Center for Space and Planetary Sciences
Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission
NASA - Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
U.S. Dept. of Energy - Advanced Gas Turbine Systems
Research Consortium
USAF Wright
Labs - Advanced Propulsion Division
NASA - Langley Research Center
Malvern Instruments
Baldor Electric Company